Former Indian coach, Ravi Shastri has termed Virat Kohli a “beast” on the field but said the former skipper has a completely opposite behavior when he is not playing the game. Kohli had stepped down as the captain of the Test team after losing the series in South Africa. Shastri said the challenge for Kohli is now to maintain his energy levels on the field as a player which he used to have while leading Team India. 

In a recent video on Shoaib Akhtar’s Youtube channel, Ravi Shastri said, “Virat is like a beast on the field. He is a terrier. Once he enters the ground, he wants to compete and is not worried about anybody. He is in-your-face and passionate. Off the field, he is totally opposite. Absolutely calm, chilled… there is no issue with him. He is 33.”

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He further added, “He has been contributing as a captain. The challenge comes when you do not captain after a span of time. Then to still have the energy to play as a player, get runs, and help India win. If he does that, he would have completed a full circle.”

India’s captain in limited-overs captain, Rohit Sharma has cleared his fitness test and as a result, he will be available to lead the side in the upcoming series against West Indies. Shastri also pointed out how Rohit has evolved his game in the last few years.

Ravi Shastri said, “Now, Rohit is laid back. It was sometimes that you got the feeling that the game came too easy to him, till he realized that ‘God has given me this gift and now let me also work harder and make the most of it’. And when in full flow, there are few batters who play like him.”

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India will now lock horns with the West Indies series from February 6. The three ODIs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad and three T20Is will be held at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.